Update: Google lowers Nexus 4 price to $199 and $249

In what will undoubtedly be seen as a way to clear inventory before the inevitable launch of a successor, Google has lowered the price of the Nexus 4 to an astounding $199 and $249.

Reaching that hallowed $199 price point is an incredible feat for Google, since it has yet to penetrate the mainstream market with its Nexus line. These prices will no doubt send other OEMs scrambling to do the same before the holiday season, as this is clearly the best deal for a high-end smartphone in the country.

At $249 for the 16GB model, Google may even entice users to purchase the device and bring it to one of the carriers and save $20 per month.

Regardless of the reason, this is an amazing deal for anyone looking at a new smartphone. With a quad-core processor, a 720p display, 2GB of RAM, a 2100mAh battery, an 8MP camera and the very latest version of stock Android, the Nexus 4 is a great device at any price. This just makes it better.

Update – August 29th: Google has now sold out of the 8GB version of the Nexus 4 on Google Play. They note that “We are out of inventory. Please check back soon.” The 16GB is still kicking around for $249 and ships within 1 – 2 business days. – IH

Google will reimburse you the difference since you purchased it after Aug. 10th!! Call them

Steve R

And for those of you that have recently purchased the Nexus 4 within the
previous two weeks, fret not. Google has been kind enough to offer
consumers ‘price protection’ to refund the difference.

Gsizzle

This is pretty bad news for people who want to sell there current N4 devices in order to update to N5 or N4 refresh.

Damn you Google!

Dimitri

Agreed. IF someone tried now to sell their 16GB Nexus 4 for more then $250 will not be able to sell it as Google is selling a brand new one for $249 +taxs & shipping.

This is why i want to wait until the Nexus 5 ( or whatever the name will be ) to see if its worth it. If the new one is not, Nexus 4 it is.

Anaron

True. After taxes and shipping, the total comes to ~$300. Anyone that was looking for a deal on Kijiji, craigslist, or eBay is better off buying it from the Google Play Store.

There’s no word on the successor to the Nexus 4. It looks like Google might skip it this year in favour of the Moto X. If that’s the case, then we’ll likely see the Google Play edition of the Moto X. The Nexus 4 will be the cheapest device, the Moto X will be the new mid-range device (despite having similar specs to the N4), and the HTC One/Samsung Galaxy S4 will serve as the high-end devices.

Me Ted

This blowout of the N4 suggests there is a successor and it isn’t the Moto X. The Moto X’s price point alone doesn’t fit with Google’s established model of getting the handset into users’ hands at almost cost.

Anaron

A more logical explanation would be lowering hardware costs and strategic timing. Google wants people to buy the Nexus 4 instead of the iPhone 5S/5C. I’m not ruling out the possibility of a Nexus 5 though. It’s possible that it’ll launch in the coming months. So far though, there haven’t been any rumours or leaks. And it makes sense for Google to push the Moto X. They’ve worked closely with Motorola to make a device that they think is affordable (but of course, it isn’t as cheap as a Nexus device). Who knows, maybe they’ll release the Google Play Edition of the Moto X for $299-$349.

MrMastodonFarm

The price was just over 300 bucks for a brand new Nexus 4. If the new Nexus 4 (or whatever it’s called) is the same price point then I don’t give a crap about re-sell value as I’ll still buy the new one. This kind of price point makes yearly upgrades and off contract phone usage beyond feasible.

Chris

Here here! I also don’t mind giving my previous nexus down the line of my family since they would still have flip phones if it weren’t for me.

Mike Friesen

I believe it’s “Hear, hear”.
Sorry, I nitpick.

Jonathan G.

I agree! I was planning on getting the Moto X off contract for 550 and now this happens and since the Moto X is basically stock Android with some tweaks to it, it kinda doesn’t make it any better than the N4.

Yet the phone is 9 months old and the new phone should be announced in October… so decisions decisions.

KID ANDROID

You can get all the software tweaks from the Moto X on Google Play and make the N4 the exact same feature wise. So the only difference is battery life due to the separate processor cores. Always listening, shake camera, etc are all download able as 3rd party apps though.

deltatux

I might just wait until this time next year if Google’s going to continue this as a “ritual”. $250 for a device like this? Next time I’m not gonna rush to upgrade (I did this round since my Nexus S was painfully slow).

I sold my Galaxy Nexus for this much last Sunday so glad I did now it would be worthless

King kobi

Lol so true I sold two for 825 $ a few months ago. Didnt lose a penny.

Trotsky

That’s excellent news. Here’s to hope it means the Nexus 5 will be unveiled soon.

In other bad news, it means that my Galaxy Nexus is now worth next to nothing.

Dimitri

You can sell it for lets say $150 – $180 if anything. Depends on the buyer.

Thomas

Sold mine to a guy on Craigslist for $250 last Sunday

Shawn

Bought one 10 minutes ago, great deal!

Vineet Sharma

Ordered…..Hell of a deal

Ben

Next, 25% off Nexus 10 please! My credit card is ready.

EvanKrosney

OH MY GOD, WE’RE HAVING A FIRE! …sale.

But yeah, this is a hell of a deal. Personally though I’ll hold off until the Nexus 5. Here’s hoping for KLP!

Scazza

Easily the best sub-400$ phone available in Canada. Such a steal at that price.

AiCMark

also the best sub-$200 phone as well.

rivard35

Hugs plus a a discount from the big 3, or go to wind, videotron,

zehavi

what about the white version??

Pol

Google Play has a Price Protection policy you can claim if you bought the Nexus 4 after August 13th. You may have to wait until you receive it before you can claim it as they want the IMEI.

Brian

i dont get it, why spend 250 when you can get it for nothing, telus has it for $0 right now on a 2 year plan, i know im going to a have a phone for the next two years and im keeping my plan as is, just going to lock in , free phone and cheap plan

ns.dev

You think you’re getting the phone for free… how cute.

Brian

if my current plan remains the same ,yes a free phone, just locked in

ns.dev

Chances are you won’t be able to keep your plan AND upgrade your phone.

grab

lol

David

250 is the price you pay without a contract, which is insane compared to the price you have to pay for a phone on a 2 year.

Ajanu

You are the person 3 year contracts were made for. How long does it take before the $20 per month savings on your bill equals the phone cost? Still want a $480 free phone?

deltatux

It’s not “free” since you’re just paying it back through your monthly plan. Not everyone is willing to lock themselves and would like to be able to jump on an offer whenever they want to. Others may want to take this opportunity and jump on to an alternative carrier like WIND or Mobilicity. By purchasing the device outright, you gain the freedom of choosing.

If you get the phone and leave a year from now, your cancellation fee would still cost you more than the device itself. For example, Fido sells the device at $425, if you break the contract, you’ll have to pay the difference which will be greater than the $250 price.

Plus, Google’s RMA process is a lot better than the carrier’s.

Anaron

You’re not getting it for nothing when you buy a subsidized phone. The “$0″ is to fool people into thinking they’re getting a deal. You’re paying much more than $0 when you lock yourself into a 2- or 3-year contract. It’s much better to buy the device unlocked without a contract. It gives you the freedom to cancel a monthly plan without having to pay an early cancellation fee. And it gives you the choice of signing up for a plan from another carrier.

kroms

Brian , no offense dude but you need to be educated on how things work. Find someone you trust that works for one of the Carriers or a friend that knows someone and have them EXPLAIN it to you. Either that or go to a bestbuy and pretend you want to buy a phone on contract and ask the sales guy/girl to explain to you what the difference is.

I’m not Surprised , many Canadians simply DO NOT understand contracts and this is why ROBELUS love’s these people. The more naive , the better.

Test

Kroms and others: here are my maths. Please explain to me where I am wrong. Even at $250 I am not sure I can save money. Example is on 2 year (24 month) contract: $45 /month plan with a $0 Nexus 4 = $1080 (let’s forget about taxes). If I were to buy the N$ at $250, after 2 years, that would mean I would need to have a plan at $34.60 (1080-250=830/24). Where or how would I find any similar $45 plan at $35? I heard, if you bring your own phone (no contract), I would get, on a similar plan only 15% ( 15% X $45 = 6.75) so I would pay my phone $250 + 24 months at $38.25 (918) = $1168. I am still better off taking the contract with a free phone than to pay $250 for the phone. Where am I missing something. Perhaps for more expensive plans it would make sense but not on a $45 plan it seems.

Dylan K

IF you can upgrade to one with your current, “cheap” plan, it’s not so bad, but if you’re on one of the new plans, buy it outright and save the $20/month on the plan with the BOYD discount, you’ll end up saving $480 over the 2 years.

big_al77

In your face carriers!!! Thank you Google

Rio

How much does the 16 GB cost with the taxes?

cloakster

$298.36

Rio

thank you

deltatux

I got $282.49 for Ontario. Taxes are not unified across Canada, the OP should have listed what province (s)he is from..

If I recalled correctly, shipping is $20. So with shipping it’ll cost $305.08 if shipped to an address in Ontario.

This is how much smartphones should cost! No reason why smartphones need to be over priced for +500$. <3 Google!

tilbar

Actually, this is not what smartphones should cost. Google has made us believe this is the case, but no other company can sustain itself at this price point. Don’t get me wrong, I love low cost stuff. But, the other players need to make money somewhere, albeit their profit margins are sky high.

wes

Honestly, I believe that smartphones shouldn’t cost more than 300-400$, if you think about it, does it make sense that tablets cost less than smartphones? For example, if you look at the Nexus 7 LTE (or iPad mini), it costs approximately 350$. It has pretty much the same components as a Nexus 4 (iPhone 4-4s). Why does it cost around twice the amount to buy an iphone 5 or Samsung G S4?

There are plenty of examples of things that cost much less than a smartphone, for example: laptops, computers, TV screens, tablets, that probably have just as much technology inside of them, but cost way less than a smartphone. Do you remember when hard drive disks used to cost 1,000$ per gig (early 90s)? With time, production costs go down. Today, you can buy 1 tetrabyte HDD for less than 100$. Look at ps3, xbox 360, all consoles drop in price within a year of it being released. Computers used to cost 4000-5000$ in the 1990s, where as now you can buy one for less than 500.

Profit margins on cellphones are probably 2-4 x the cost of production, which I believe is way too much. Unlike you, I believe that Google is leading us to a fair priced smartphone. As it should be.

Again, I’ll blame Apple for hyper-inflating prices and their ability to keep prices high (not entirely their fault, people keep buying things they don’t have money for). Don’t tell me that the production cost of an iphone5 at launch costs the same as it does today, but yet the price has stayed the same. They do not believe in sharing the savings to their customers.

tilbar

Cost of production for a high-end smartphone is somewhere between $200-250. Add in marketing, overhead, R&D and the royalty paid to Microsoft…that takes us to a unit cost of at least $300 without making an ounce of profit. So it isn’t likely that a high-end smartphone could cost less than $400. Google doesn’t make their money on hardware, so they have chosen to subsidize the cost of each unit. No other OEM can do that.

Having said that, the cost of a high-end smartphone is ridiculous. An iPhone 5 or S4 @ $699 is ridiculous, especially compared to a N4 @ $299 (or now at $199). Google won’t have much of an impact on price point until Nexus devices have widespread appeal. So far, the Nexus program hasn’t had an impact on overall prices, with the exception of the 7″ tablet market.

kroms

And in other News BB today announced today that the BB Q10 will be reduced my $10.

lol ok i’m sorry, lol Man this will hurt the Competition between the …..

Iriedeutsche

Just send an email or call customer service. I’m sure they’ll refund you the difference. It’s really that simple!

Iriedeutsche

That’s the one garbage thing about buying a nexus; the resale value. It’s a good phone but I like to sell my smartphones before I buy a new one. I may get 150 bucks but that would be from some completely desperate sucka!

Anaron

What you’re saying is that you’d rather buy an expensive phone for the resale value rather than save money upfront and buy an inexpensive phone? If you’d prefer paying $699+ for a phone, then be my guest. A lot of people would prefer to spend less so the phone’s resale value isn’t a big factor in their decision to buy it.

Iriedeutsche

Did you read the article and really just reply with that? They are selling the nexus 4 in the play store for… Wait for it… $250. It’s 0 down on a contract or a tab. I got mine in February for the original price.

FuzzyFish6

Just bought an 8GB model for a family member, thanks Syrup for the heads up!

John878756

This or BB10? LOL

Anaron

$249 for the 16GB model is astonishing. The price is so low that some of my friends, who love the iPhone, are considering it. My best friend is definitely tempted. He currently owns an iPhone 4 and wants to buy the iPhone 5S. Of course, the recent price drop has made him uncertain about his buying decision.

If I wasn’t already happy with my HTC 8S, I’d get the 16GB model.

CrazyFish

My office has a pretty weak signal, I have no problems with my iphone 4 lasting all day, I get about 1.5 days out of the battery. I know the N4 battery isn’t as good but would I still get a full days use out of it? I don’t use it a lot while at work but I’m concerned about the weak signal.

To take advantage of the BYOP discount I would assume you have to be a new customer?

RG

Here’s a noob question: Do all carriers have a BYOP option or not?

RG

Thanks. I guess in the case of Wind one is just being freed from contracts and the like. I checked their BYOP page and there is no discount on the plan cost itself just no phone to pay for, which of course should be the case.

RG

True, thanks again.

RG

I will ask about that when I go, thanks.

Chris

Great deal> Wish the white one was available as well

Alex

Wife has this phone…it’s great except for the battery life. Struggles to get an entire day out of it. At $200 it’s hard to find better though.

Nathan George

I just realized that it has no external memory slot. can anyone confirm this? I absolutely HATE when Androids devices don’t allow this.

Paul

FYI – 16GB is sold out: 8GB still available.

Nexus 4 (16GB)
Google Now. Amazing Photo Sphere camera. Totally wireless.
Nexus 4 is the newest smartphone from Google. With cutting edge hardware, the latest version of Android, and the best Google apps — Nexus 4 puts the world’s information at your fingertips.
16 GB
This device is not for sale at this time.

Kevin Mendoza

I believe they’ve updated the site. The 16GB is available or at least is says so at checkout.

Martin Chan

I seriously wonder why other Android phones are so expensive.

Kevin Mendoza

This offer is so tempting for both storage sizes. Unfortunately 16GB is getting small these days. I barely have any music but a ton of family photos. I used to hate managing storage on my phone back in my Motorola Milestone days and I would probably have to do the same again if I bough this. I hope the next Nexus has a larger size storage option.

Garrett Cooper

This makes me excited of what’s next, aka Nexus 5. Can’t see upgrading from my N4 for anything else at this point.

jeff

google lowers the price of their phone when it is being replaced by a newer version. Robelus keeps their month to month price the same (eg. GS3 is practically the same price as the GS4 month to month pricewise). they only discount the locked in forever upfront prices…. Why wasn’t that addressed by the crtc

jeff

correction gs3 and gs4 were the same price for quite a while, but the gs3 is now discounted on Rogers. … Telus has only a $50 difference

Jim__R

Anyone have any thoughts on whether Koodo will reduce their price? Koodo’s $300 price was very good, so hoping we might see a reduction to $250 or below.

Lucas

I’d love this phone but I want LTE. hopefully the Nexus 5 is released soon, but I’d want it to look more like the nexus 4 and not the lg g2.

grab

Is this website now owned by Rogers Communications? It has the look and feel of Rogers…. I digress. I bought a Nexus 4 at this price. My concern is that I see tonnes and tonnes and yes, tonnes of complaints about the Nexus 4 not working after the Android 4.3 upgrade. So wtf. Once I get mine in the mail I will return it.

DEE

Can MobileSyrup follow up with LG about the Canadian release of the white version on Google Play? MS had previously posted that it would soon be available online – as of now, the white version is only offered by Videotron and Wind.

CALL ME GORGEOUS

I’m looking to buy a used one in Toronto if anyone is trying to sell theirs. cmgevent@gmail.com @myblocktyler

Jane

horrible, horrible customer service. Google Play stated that the phone is going to be shipped out in 1-2 days and arrive in 3-4 days. Ordered 16 GB nexus 4 on the 1st, and they still hasn’t shipped it out yet. Called customer service, and the representative who helped me out definitely had some hearing problems (I am fluent in English, and representatives from other companies get me right away). It took her nearly 10 min just to get my e-mail address right. I asked if they shipped it out, she told me that she has to contact the shipping “specialist” and it will take her 24 – 48 hours to figure it out. WTF? why does it take soooo long to figure out if it’s out for shipping? do they keep their record on handwritten books and they manually have to go through the whole book to figure out if the product is shipped or not? On the other hand, the phone case that I ordered on the same day as I ordered the phone arrived today. and it came from Korea. I don’t know how the logistics work at Google, but it is definitely leaving bad impression on that company.